1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an in-vehicle display apparatus arranged between the driver's seat and the front-passenger's seat in a vehicle to be operable from both the driver's seat and the front-passenger's seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a so-called multi-view display apparatus, on which different images are respectively visible from different viewing directions (viewing angles) on a common display panel, there has been known a multi-view display with a liquid crystal panel having a parallax barrier on the front side thereof. Different information (images) can be displayed to the right and left sides of the display screen by separating directions of lights through a backlight on a pixel basis (for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-78080). Such display apparatus is mounted in a vehicle, allowing the front-seat passenger to watch a TV program or another image, while the driver is checking a navigation map image.
It is not desirable in consideration of safety, if the driver is able to freely operate the navigation apparatus while driving, according to the display screen of the navigation apparatus. While the vehicle is moving, the operation is generally controlled by so-called restrictions on operation while driving. Under such restrictions, neither the driver nor the front-seat passenger is allowed to operate the navigation apparatus, thereby causing inconvenience. For this reason, there has been proposed a technique that detects which of the driver or the front-seat passenger has operated the apparatus, and the operation by the driver is not accepted (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-248466).
It is to be noted that several methods can be imagined so that the driver who sits on the driver's seat (D-seat) and the front passenger who sits on the front-passenger's seat (P-seat) respectively operate or change the image for the driver's seat screen and that for the front-passenger's seat screen. For example, there may be provided manual operation buttons dedicated for the driver's seat screen and those dedicated for the front-passenger's seat screen. There may be provided a manual operation button to set the priority for operation to any one of the operation on the driver's seat screen and that on the front-passenger's seat screen.
If there are provided the manual operation buttons dedicated for the driver's seat screen and those dedicated for the front-passenger's seat screen, the number of necessary manual operation buttons is significantly increased as compared to that necessary for a single-view display apparatus. Also, if there is provided the manual operation button to set the priority for operation, a manual operation is necessary for setting the priority for operation, and in addition, another operation is necessary for selectively changing the priority for operation, resulting in a complex operation.